Railway signaling-lantern.



No. 823,615. PATENTED-JUNEIQ, 1906.

T. L. MOORE. I -RAILWA Y SIGNALING LANTERN.

APPLICATION TILEDDEO. 30, 1905.

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THOMAS LINDSAY MOORE, or SAN ANTONIO, EX S;

RAILWAY SIGNALING-LANTERN.

Application filed Deeember 30, 1905. Serial No. 293,950.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paten ed Jamie, 9 0 6.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, THOMAS LINDSAY MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, inthe county of BeXari and State'of Texas, have invented a new and. useful Railway Signaling-Lantern, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to---lanterns, and in particular to railway signaling-lanterns as employed by brakemen and switchmen for signaling to the engineers of trains and specially for directing the movements of switching-engines. 1 i

The object of the present invention is to equip such lanterns with a novel arrangement of handle whereby the lantern may be more conveniently handled to more accurately produce signals, and thereby avoid confusion which frequently results from the conventionalform of lantern having the usual swinging handle.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lantern with the improvement applied. Fig. 2 is a detail View of a portion of the guard-frame and a portion of one of the handle-standards, illustrating the construction. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional'detail of a portion of the improved handle.

' One of the most important duties of railway switchmen is to transmit signals at a night by swinging a lantern held in the hand,

and many of these signals are so nearly alike that a slight variation often causes serious accidents. In using the lantern as ordinarily constructed, with the bail of relatively thin wireand swinging upon thelantern, it is difficult to grip the bail with sufficient force to prevent slipping, and thus interfering with the proper transmission of the signal. f

The principal object of the resent invention is to construct-a lantern andle or. bail which may be firmly grasped by the hand,

and thus enable the operator to control the motions and accurately transmit the signals and reduce to the minimum the chances for error.

The invention consists, primarily, in a handle substantially in U shape, with the central or grip portion enlarged and preferably formed of wood and rigidly connected. to the I frame of the lantern at its ends.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various makes of lanterns employed by switchmen, but for the purpose of lllustration is shown applied to-a 'conven; tional structure of this class, the base belng ,represented at 10, the oil-receptacle at 11,

the burner at 12, the guard-frame formed of vertical members 13 and horizontal member 14, thetop or head 15, and the globe 16.

Connected at the ends, respectively, to the base and head 15 are spaced standards 17 18 and also connected to the horizontal mem-- ber. 14 of the guard-frame by coiling around the same, as at 19 20, and formed with later.- ally-extending guide-loops 21 22. The handle member is constructed of two rods 23-24, extending through'the guides 21 22 and connected to the horizontal guard member 14 by coiling around the same, as represented at 25 26. larged into tapering sockets 27 28, and into these sockets the tapered ends of the U- shaped grip member 29 are inserted and secured by pins 30 31 or by other suitable means. The member 29 is preferably of wood bent into the required shape and considerably larger in transverse section than The upper ends of the rods 23 24 are enthe rods 23 24, so as to enable the operator to firmly grip the same when handling the lantern. The lantern and bail are thus rigidly united, and the bail is large enough to be firmly grasped, thus enabling the operator to .effectually control the motions required in ally-extending guides, rods connected at the lower ends to said frame and extending through said guides and provided with sockets at the upper ends; and a U-shaped grip member connected at its ends in said sockets.

2. A lantern having a wire cage to protect the chimney thereof, diametrically opposite wires of the cage being provided with transversely-disposed loops, rods carried by the lower portion of the cage and rising through the respective loops, and a handle connecting the upper ends of the rods and arched over .the top of the lantern. I

3. A lantern having a cage to protect the THOMAS LINDSAY MOORE.

WVitnesses W. F. WEATHERFORD, H. H. GUEs'r. 

